The Position of Sohrab Sepehri in the Literary Field of the 1960s  through the Lens of Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory

Ramezani, Afsaneh; Salari, Ghasem

doi:10.30488/sipl.2026.570984.1158

The Position of Sohrab Sepehri in the Literary Field of the 1960s through the Lens of Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Afsaneh Ramezani ¹

Ghasem Salari ²

¹ Yasouj University

² yasouj university

10.30488/sipl.2026.570984.1158

Abstract

The Iranian literary field during the 1960s and 1970s was dominated by political and socially committed discourses. Within this context, Sohrab Sepehri pursued a distinct path that appeared ostensibly indifferent to contemporary sociopolitical issues, raising important questions regarding his position within the literary field. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of the field, this article examines Sepehri’s unique position in the Iranian literary landscape. Bourdieu’s framework, with its emphasis on concepts such as ‘habitus’, various forms of capital (economic, cultural, social, and symbolic), and the field as a space of competition and relational dynamics, provides a powerful analytical tool for understanding how positions and reputations are formed and consolidated within social spaces. The findings of this study suggest that Sepehri should be understood not merely as an artist inspired by nature but as an active agent within the literary field whose practices, whether conscious or unconscious, can be interpreted in relation to the structures and forces shaping that field. Drawing upon substantial cultural capital, including his mastery of classical Persian literature, painting, and Eastern philosophy, as well as significant social capital through his connections with intellectual circles while remaining independent of dominant literary movements, Sepehri established a distinctive position. Above all, his mystical and nature-oriented habitus enabled him to adopt a stance characterized by the rejection of the dominant political discourse and the construction of an alternative mystical-philosophical discourse

Keywords

Sociology of Literature

Pierre Bourdieu

Literary Field

Cultural Capital

Habitus

Sohrab Sepehri

Subjects